Tips

Avoid taking this medication if at all possible. The side effects and withdrawal symptoms are awful. If you miss a dose or two at any time you can count on a massive onslaught of some of the worst depression and crying episodes imaginable. My side effects and withdrawal symptoms include: inability to finish a sentence, long pauses while waiting for my brain to provide the word I'm searching for, dizziness, numbness in lips and hands, chirping in my ear (tinnitus), extreme depression and sadness when a dose is missed or when going through a withdrawal of the medication. I am currently going through the process of weening off it - it is an addictive drug that creates a physical dependency and INCREASES the intensity of depressive symptoms. There are better drugs out there - avoid this one and do your research. I wish I would have - this is absolutely awful. I can't believe it is on the market with all the side effects and withdrawal symptoms it has. The bad outweighs the good for me.View Thread

I'm bipolar and just went through what I could find in WebMD for this. I noticed a piece is missing. In...

Posted by An_249407

I'm bipolar and just went through what I could find in WebMD for this. I noticed a piece is missing. In addition to medication and one-on-one therapy, I have found CBT, DBT, PTSD workshops, and tapping protocols to be very helpful. I'm a rapid cycler with more severe depressive episodes than manic ones. All of these methods stress the responsibility and capacity of the patient to take control of his or her life. Tapping, in particular, can be learned quickly and used so unobtrusively that I can tap while my students are reading or writing independently without even leaving the room. Most importantly for me, it works when nothing else does.View Thread

I have had mild to moderate depression for most of my life and finally gave in and went on medication 7 years ago. I have recently done some "natural" things that have helped quite a bit and allowed me to be on half the dose of my medication that I used to be on. These are well known but they work. The first and most important is outdoor sunlight. I wake up in a down mood and just walking out the door to get the paper on a sunny morning provides an immediate lift. If you are able to get outside for an hour or two in the morning, that will really help. Even sitting outside at work on your lunch break helps. The second is vigorous aerobic exercise. I try to do at least an hour of either running or cycling. The more vigorous without totally exhausting yourself, released the brain chemicals that lift your mood. Serotonin is the chemical that is released by the outdoor sunlight and aerobic exercise. If you can combine the two, you will get the max benefit. Indoor exercise helps but if you can do it outdoors with sunlight benefit also, its a great mood lift that lasts all day. People with severe depression might not be able to get themselves out of the house to do this. However for mild to moderate this will really help.View Thread

I am often asked if there are vitamins or supplements that 'are not really prescriptions' or 'are not really antidepressants' that can help depression.. I often tell my patients that there likely are things like this that can help but unfortunately these diet, food, vitamin over the counter options are often not studied well so that determining safety and dosing is tough...

In recent years however, I think that 3 products which I call nutraceuticals have started to publish data and research which allows me to 'prescribe them' or at least suggest patient go and buy them over the counter....

1) l-methylfolate helps boost antidepressant effects if you are on an antidepressant already. I do not know if it works alone. 15mg/day is the dose. It actually is a prescription vitamin (like a prenatal vitamin is)

2) SAMe (s-adenosyl methionine) is truly over the counter and if taken at 800mg twice a day can also boost an FDA antidepressant's effect

3) NAC (n-acetyl cysteine) also is over the counter and has some data showing it can treat bipolar depression at 1000mg twice a day...

So- I am sure their are others, but these three seem to have preliminary data and research which increases my confort level as a physician.View Thread

was on 7.5mgs of abilify for 4 years. i withdrew slowly over a period of 4 months. i suffered terribly.but the short of it is that i had cancer scare and spun out on that in panick and something else really wierd and hard to describe happened.this later condition hospitalised me once.its very physical and not my usual long term form of anxiety i have. i have ocd and adhd.i started to take the abilify again @7.5 mgs i have done this three days in row and improved dramatically.however i do not want to go through abilify withdrawels all over again..i had about a month where i was doing real well without the abilify. or did i just have no insite?any ideas?View Thread

Have a husband crack addict, try to keep home nice but it is getting away from me so many days I wake up with good intentions but just can't force myself into the shower and out of my pj's, so I will swipe over everything and lay down. I have a really good job but it is stressful although rewarding I can't seem to want to get out of bed to go to work anymore and when I do I don't do my hair or makeup anymore. I took anti depressants about 10 years ago but quit after I gained about 30 lbs and was more depressed over my weight.i want to leave but I have to stay where the job is and my husband won't leave and in sc I can't force him to go.
Where do I turn, what do I do, who do I see?View Thread

I am having menopause symptoms, and am wondering about doing natural remedies to help instead of prescription meds. Would like to hear from people that do natural remedies and how you got started. ie-seeing a holistic dr. or just going to natural foods store.? Thank you!View Thread

Hello all. I have had chronic depression and anxiety for the past 10 years. I have been on medication the past 7, do tons of exercise, and still had problems. I had read about acupuncture and three weeks ago finally got up the nerve to give it a try. I noticed a big uplift in my mood after the second treatment. I've had six treatment now and I feel tremendous. I had found that my health insurance covers 24 treatments per calendar year. I know it can be a little scary to have needles put in your body but it doesn't hurt. I even fell asleep during my last treatment. I hope this helps some of you that don't get relief from other treatments.View Thread

In my area the only group which offers counseling services. Other areas may have similar faith based groups. It might be worth your time to check out. Lutheran has services based on your income - sliding scale.View Thread

Hi so sorry for your troubles. (I am just recently diagnosed with bipolar. Years ago I had been diagnosed with major depression and all my husband and I would do was argue about my "inaction." So at least now I have an accurate diagnosis - maybe he can understand bipolar better than depression (he used to believe I was simply "lazy" which I'm sure many depressed people get that opinion made of them).

The tip I offer is this - I wonder if there is some kind of support group people can go to whose loved ones have mental illness? If you perhaps send him to this rather than take him with you to your therapist. I never think it is a good idea for my husband to go to therapy with me - the 2 different times he came it was a disaster, but that's just us. ...

So, yes, wondering if there is something like what they have for children of alcoholics - support groups! That would be my tip to you. And I don't mean just a complaint session. It would have to be guided by a certified/licensed therapist who knows the clinical aspect of mental illnesses and not simply "MaryJane-whose-husband-is depressed" but who has NO training, doing a round table discussion with the attendees. That would not work, it could go very wrong. ...Loved ones of depressed individuals need support, and sometimes to step away from the situation, outside of it kind of, and talking with others in the same predicament sometimes might be better than going with you to your therapist. And it's likely that a combination of both might help? Also wanted to say something to Jaded7364 - I feel for you and think the same as you - glad that my kids are grown so they don't have to see it! I feel/hope bipolar, if it can't be cured, can successfully be managed.

So sorry to EVERYONE for their troubles, no asks for mental illness. Take care!View Thread

I have been suffering from major depression and general anxiety disorder for many years. They changed me into a person i couldn't recognize, and force my life to stand still. The issue is, that i am verhermently anti-drugs, i just can't take the side-effects, and i believe that they are not the only answer . So i have searched and searched and searched and have found a herbal remedy called "Neurocalm" by Metagenics which i have been taking for a few weeks and i actually can't believe how happy i am, how well i am sleeping and how back to normal i feel. I am taking 3 or 4 a day; 2 of those before bed and i can't remeber the last time things were this good. So i urge all of you who are struggling to find an answer, to at least give this product a go. I just felt i really needed to spread the word about this because it is amazing! Love to all xView Thread

I have been suffering from major depression and general anxiety disorder for many years. They changed me...

Posted by Anon_167039

I have been suffering from major depression and general anxiety disorder for many years. They changed me into a person i couldn't recognize, and force my life to stand still. The issue is, that i am verhermently anti-drugs, i just can't take the side-effects, and i believe that they are not the only answer . So i have searched and searched and searched and have found a herbal remedy called "Neurocalm" by Metagenics which i have been taking for a few weeks and i actually can't believe how happy i am, how well i am sleeping and how back to normal i feel. I am taking 3 or 4 a day; 2 of those before bed and i can't remeber the last time things were this good. So i urge all of you who are struggling to find an answer, to at least give this product a go. I just felt i really needed to spread the word about this because it is amazing! Love to all xView Thread

With so much things to do, think and problems to solve, at work, school, home and so on—not enough...

Posted by Anon_155099

With so much things to do, think and problems to solve, at work, school, home and so on—not enough time to do them all, it's no wonder people get stressed out, get sick and eventually become unhealthy in many aspect of life. But you must always remember that too much work could affect your health and lifestyle practices. It is still important to make your health well cared of despite all the stresses you are going through because of work. You can manage life well when you are well nourished, by eating a healthy diet, and keeping a healthy mind setting, your mind, and body can reach optimum wellness.

Simple tips to help you relax during work:

1. Eat breakfast before leaving for work — eating breakfast keeps you energized for the entire day of work. Remember to enjoy your breakfast without the rush-hour anxiety. Studies proven that eating breakfast help in keeping the body healthy and active.

2. Be at work earlier — avoid the morning rush at stations and waiting areas. Leave your home and travel earlier. It is better to arrive at your work place earlier to be more relaxed and not rushing things up when arrived late. This could help you avoid stress as you start your day.

3. Maintain a clean, organized workplace — a dirty unorganized working area is very irritating, distracting and adds stress on you. Your workplace should be conducive for learning, sharing, and working to have a clear mind; this will help you think positively and clearly during work.

4. Enjoy lunch breaks — during work breaks, it is best to enjoy every minute without thinking about the work you still have to finish. Choose a healthy lunch to eat and enjoy eating without rushing. When still have time left, try to take a nap or stretch your body or do whatever you like that makes your mind relaxed. These will prepare you for the next hours of work.

5. Laugh more — laughter is the best medicine isn't it? Find more time to listen on jokes, you can also watch funny videos or recall funny things that happened to you or experiences of some people you know. Sharing funny thoughts with your friends during work breaks is also helpful to keep you relaxed.

The mentioned tips are some of the simple but effective steps to do to help you loosen up even during hectic work schedules and demands. You just have to find ways to keep your body and mind healthy despite work stresses. Never forget to always provide your body with a healthy diet, because your body is important for you to work properly, and an alert mind will provide you good ideas you can use to be productive during work.

Adderall will stop working one day and you will be down and out worse than you were. It's not worth it. It can cause a lot of side effects that do not go away easily. Aggitation, paranoia, liver and heart problems. It may burn you out.View Thread

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